iSHOUT interactive » Management http://ishouti.com Social Influence Specialist - Can you afford to whisper? Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:53:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Money is going Mobile! http://ishouti.com/2010/06/money-is-going-mobile/ http://ishouti.com/2010/06/money-is-going-mobile/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:42:13 +0000 admin http://ishouti.com/?p=217 We all made the move from Cash to checks to credit card to debit cards and it look like we are ready to start spending our cash via a mobile devises!   no need to carry any cards, just carry your phone and you can buy anything.   Mobile purchase has been around for a long time and when I talk about mobile payment I’m talking about  people buy things on their phone, within a mobile application, with their phone number,  using their physical handset,  when they pay  bills from their phone or when they split a tab via text message.  All of it is mobile payment.

The mobile payment industry is about to find it’s pay day – it’s estimated that mobile payment will jump over 800%.  In 2009 mobile pay companies processed 68.7 billion dollars by 2014 the industry is looking at processing 633.4 billion, not a bad return on investment if you ask me.

So are you ready for the mobile payment world?  It’s coming, don’t  you think you should start to get ready now, why wait to turn away that first customer who wants to pay with their smartphone.

]]> http://ishouti.com/2010/06/money-is-going-mobile/feed/ 0 The Feeling is Mutual http://ishouti.com/2009/08/the-feeling-is-mutual/ http://ishouti.com/2009/08/the-feeling-is-mutual/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:52:58 +0000 admin http://ishouti.com/2009/08/the-feeling-is-mutual/ I wrote a post yesterday about the article in Tech Crunch regarding a PR firm using employees/interns to post fake product reviews.

Evidently, I wasn’t the only one put off by the idea of posting fake or false product reviews  See this post by Brian Solis “Why Authenticity Matters”

]]> http://ishouti.com/2009/08/the-feeling-is-mutual/feed/ 0 CEO’s and Social Media http://ishouti.com/2009/08/ceo-and-social-media/ http://ishouti.com/2009/08/ceo-and-social-media/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:20:40 +0000 admin http://ishouti.com/2009/08/ceo-and-social-media/ I’m sure you’ve heard about the storm clouds gathering around Whole Foods and their CEO John Mackey regarding comments he made about healthcare reform.  What was he thinking?

This is a man familiar with the trials and tribulation of social media.  It was just a short time ago Mackey was sued for posting comments under an alias that resulted in a anti-trust violations.

Now, there is a Facebook group setting up a boycott – they have over 22,000 members in less then a week and growing fast.

What would happen if the CMO wrote the article Markey wrote? – they would loose their job, so why hasn’t Markey lost his.  Who know that is for those in charge to decide.

Whether or not Markey looses his job, all CEO must remember they are no larger then their company and in most cases the general public, see them as the company.  Personal opinion or not, when the CEO speaks, it is general considered they are speaking for the company.  Social media and networks make this even more apparent.  It’s not that we don’t think that they have personal opinions, but when our only connection is through the company, we see them as speaking for the company.   We don’t know them personally, so we don’t expect personal opinions!

As social media and networks become more of our everyday life, CEO and business leaders will be seen less as individuals and more as visual extension of the corporation.

Beware those who don’t understand their role in this new 24/7/365 world where corporate and personal branding lines can easy get blurred if one is not careful.  If you are a CEO and only known through your company dealings, your personal opinions may not be received all that well

What are you thoughts on CEO and expressing their personal opinions?

]]> http://ishouti.com/2009/08/ceo-and-social-media/feed/ 0 Three Steps into the pool of Social Media http://ishouti.com/2009/08/three-steps-into-the-pool-of-social-media/ http://ishouti.com/2009/08/three-steps-into-the-pool-of-social-media/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:54:49 +0000 admin http://ishouti.com/?p=13 I’m a coach and consultant to small to medium sized business and organization who are interested in developing a presents on the internet through social media and marketing.   To be honest, most of my clients don’t have the money to spend on doing a full analysis of their situation or creating a full-blown marketing strategy.

I suggest they take some time, about two to three weeks and do three simple things.

1.    Simply Notice
2.    Choose and Play
3.    Being the Process

The first step is to simply notice, be aware, pay attention – don’t ask any question, just look and jot down some notes.  Watch how other present them selves. Notice what information people are offering or not.  Reflect on how a site or words use made you feel.

This is an important first step – because it connects you the first impression.  Everyone has them and unless you are way out I left field most people fall generally in the same place.

The second is to choose one or two sites and play with them not from a business perspective, but from a user’s seat.  I ask people to do this for two reasons – one, if you find the platform or network difficult to work with from a personal user perspective then you will not enjoy working with in as a business tool.  The second is you have to know what the customer experience will be like.  Are you customers that much different then you?  I didn’t think so – so if you like the customer feel, your customers most likely will as well.

This is also a great time to continue just simply noticing how business and other users interact with each other and yourself.  Remember, making no judgments or conclusions, just simply notice!

Finally, begin the process.  Now, you are in a position to better understand what you business needs and wants.  You can now use me a tool to help create the best strategy for you customers and business, based on platforms and networks are you comfortable working with.

Remember the internet and social media are not going anywhere, so there is no reason to go rushing in making mistakes and getting frustrates, when just taking the time to notice and play can make all the difference.

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